Game 1 Box (PDF) | Game 2 Box (PDF)
Spartanburg, S.C. – USC Upstate hit four home runs Friday to sweep the day's competition in the Winthrop Adidas Tournament being played at Cyrill Stadium. The Spartans claimed a 7-2 victory over Appalachian State in the first game and defeated Hartford, 9-0, in the second.
With two hits on the day, Upstate's Shellie Robinson tied the Upstate Division I era school record for hits. She now shares the record with Kim (Brasil) Hames at 207. Hanes played for the Spartans from 2008-11 and an all-conference player. Robinson already owns the Division I era school records for home runs, RBIs and runs scored and is in the top position in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage. She ranks fifth on the all-time hits list (including NCAA Division II and NAIA years) with Upstate Athletics Hall of Fame member Krista (Altom) Gebhard leading the way with 281.
Upstate improved to 8-2 on the year with the wins Friday. The Spartans will continue in the tournament Saturday, playing Coppin State at 2 p.m. and Harvard at 4 p.m. The tournament is hosted by Winthrop, but the winter weather that hit the area Wednesday and Thursday forced games to be played at Upstate's Cyrill Stadium Friday and Saturday.
Upstate 7, Appalachian State 2
Upstate jumped on top of Appalachian State in the first inning to set the tone early. The Spartans put runners on first and third with two outs when Dana Landers doubled to drive in a run and put runners on second and third. Karla Beasley scored from third when the Mountaineers' catcher attempted to throw behind her and the throw went wide to give Upstate a 2-0 lead.
Upstate kept it going in the second inning. Kaitlyn Jaeger started things off by belting a two-run homer to left to give the Spartans a 4-0 lead. It was her second homer of the year. Cheyenne Griffin drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to increase Upstate's advantage to 5-0.
Upstate put two runners on base with one out in the third, but Appalachian State reliever Alissa Schoelkopf got a pair of strikeouts to end the threat and keep the Mountaineers within 5-0.
Appalachian State looked to get back in the game in the top of the fourth. The Mountaineers put runners on second and third with one out. Ashley Seering delivered for the Mountaineers, smacking a two-run single to left center to get Appalachian State within three, 5-2. Seering was thrown out at second by Robinson while trying to stretch the single into a double.
Upstate got a run back in the bottom of the fourth on Griffin's sacrifice fly to make it a 6-2 Upstate lead. The Spartans added to the lead in the seventh inning when Jaeger scored when Griffin grounded into a double play.
Upstate starter Lexi Shubert went the distance and improved to 5-1 on the year. She allowed two runs on three hits with nine strikeouts. Reinfeld and Jaeger led Upstate at the plate with two hits apiece.
Upstate 9, Hartford 0
As was the case in the first game of the day, Upstate started early against Hartford. Robinson led off the inning with a single to center to tie the school's Division I era school record for hits. She moved over to third and Griffin followed with a two-run homer to center to give the Spartans an early 2-0 lead. It was her fourth dinger of the season.
Upstate added to its lead in the second inning. Robinson started things off by driving in a run on a fielder's choice and later scored on Reinfeld's single up the middle to make it a 4-0 Spartan advantage. The Spartans made it a 5-0 lead when Beasley led off the bottom of the third with a solo home run, her third of the season.
Kendall Settlemyre, who has been sidelined since the fourth game of the season with a wrist injury, returned to the field to start the game. After doubling in her first at-bat in the second inning, she belted a three-run homer in the third to give the Spartans an 8-0 lead. Upstate made it a 9-0 lead with a run in the fourth inning when Kendsey Chappelear scored on a throwing error as Ryan Rector reached on an infield single. The game ended early when Hartford did not score in the top of the fifth.
Amanda Storch went the distance in the circle for Upstate. She allowed just one hit, an infield single on the left side of the infield just outside the reach of a diving Settlemyre at third. She also struck out a career-high eight batters. Settlemyre led the way offensively, finishing with two hits and three RBIs for the Spartans.
Winthrop Adidas Tournament at Cyrill Stadium
Friday, Feb. 27
Game 1 – Appalachian State 7, Hartford 2
Game 2 – Upstate 7, Appalachian State 2
Game 3 – Upstate 9, Hartford 0
Saturday, Feb. 28
Game 4 – Coppin State vs. Harvard, 12 p.m.
Game 5 – Coppin State at Upstate, 2 p.m.
Game 6 – Harvard at Upstate, 4 p.m.
